Rep. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, center, sits with other lawmakers amid photos of local people shot in crimes in the chamber of the Minnesota House of Representatives on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. Maye Quade was planning to remain there for 24 hours telling stories of victims of gun violence. Depicted in the photos are, from left: Chase Passauer, shot and killed in a St. Paul law office in 2016; Shelley Joseph-Kordell, shot and killed in the Hennepin County Government Center in 2003; Rick Hendrickson, survived being shot in the neck at close range during the same 2003 Hennepin County Government Center shooting. (Dave Orrick / Pioneer Press)

UPDATE: Around 11:40 a.m. Wednesday, with the House in session, Rep. Erin Maye Quade got up and walked out of the chamber, where she was greeted with cheers from gun-control advocates gathered outside.

A Democratic lawmaker is holding a 24-hour sit-in on the Minnesota House floor to protest the lack of action on gun legislation this year.

State Rep. Erin Maye Quade began the protest Tuesday morning. Several Democratic colleagues and one suburban Republican joined at the start to share stories of Minnesotans who have been shot.

Maye Quade is a first-term lawmaker from Apple Valley. She hopes to call attention to the need for stronger gun restrictions.

"90% of MNs support background checks. Students marched, parents rallied, survivors pleaded, yet there's been no vote. Today, I begin a 24hr sit-in on the #mnleg House floor. I will share the stories of victims & survivors that deserve to be told in this chamber.#SitInSpeakUp" pic.twitter.com/vHiMz2SZHw

Gun laws are under scrutiny nationwide after February’s deadly school shooting in Florida. But any changes in Minnesota have faced stiff resistance from both Republican majorities and rural Democrats.

Maye Quade and others are calling for expanded background checks and a legal way for family members to temporarily restrict a loved one’s gun access.

Maye Quade’s action is uncommon. She announced her intention after the House recessed Tuesday afternoon, so it’s not any sort of attempted filibuster. Nor is it quite a public protest, since the Capitol doors lock to the public each evening when no public meetings are underway. However, lawmakers and staff have after-hours access to the Capitol, and House members have access to the chamber.

Sitting cross-legged in the well of the chamber with colleagues, Maye Quade’s sit-in appeared more like a family gathering, as she and lawmakers discussed stories they were familiar with of those who were killed in gun crimes. She said she expected the event would involve virtual participation via social media.

When his turn came, Rep. Fue Lee, DFL-Minneapolis, stood in the well of the chamber — an area where a speaker’s voice projects to all the seats of representatives — and spoke of one gun crime, sans microphone. All the seats were empty.

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